Election Day descends on Fourth Ward of Hoboken

Doug Bauman/The Jersey JournalHoboken Fourth Ward City Council Seat Candidate Mike Lenz speaks during a debate at the Jubilee Center in Hoboken last month. Polls have opened for today's special election for the council seat.

Election Day is underway in Hoboken for about residents of the southwest quadrant of the city. Fourth Ward incumbent Councilman Michael Lenz is squaring off against independent candidate Tim Occhipinti for a council seat in this special election.

Polls opened in the Fourth Ward at 6 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. tonight. About 5,000 residents of the ward are registered to vote.

Lenz, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2001, was appointed by the council in November 2009 to take Zimmer's place when she resigned to be sworn in as mayor.

The winner of next week's special election will finish out Zimmer's term, which ends next May, when six City Council seats – all excluding At-Large spots – are up for grabs. The temporary term begins as soon as the election is certified by the city clerk.

The candidates aim to improve the region of town’s reputation as the “forgotten ward” by ending the chronic flooding problems and building a park.

"My goal is not to get the credit," Lenz told the Journal. "My goal is to get something done."
"I will support good ideas," Occhipinti has said. "I look forward to working with this administration.”

Both candidate’s respective campaign was marked by accusations of election fraud by the other party. On Friday, a superior court judge in Jersey City denied a claim made by Sam Briggs of the Lenz campaign accusing Occhpinti's campaign of committing ballot fraud, citing "insufficient evidence" to discount the contested votes.